Mail-chute.



A. K. SMITH.

MAIL GHUTE. APPLIGATIONTILED APE. 14, 1910.

1,087,1 95. PatentedFeb. 17, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

( N E /2 Lb i H Q g resales.

narra s ARTHUR K. SIVIITH, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNIVIENTS, TO CUTLEP.. MAIL CHUTE CGI'IIPANY, 0F ROGI-IESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION 0F NEW' YORK.

MAIL-GI-IUTE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

Application filed April 14, 1910. Serial No. 555,424.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR K. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Mail-Chutes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this speciiicat-ion, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a mail chute of my improved construction. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the lower end of one of the chute sections and looking at the rear side thereof. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the upper end of one of the chute sections and looking at the rear side thereof. Fig. 4 is an enlarged horizontal section taken approximately on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of F ig. 11.

This invention relates generally to new and useful improvements in mail chutes and inore particularly to the means of locking the various chute sections together, and locking the removable front portions of the chute sections to the back walls of said seotions.

My present invention relates to, and is an improvement upon that type of mail chute shown in an application for U. S. Letters Patent filed by me July 29, 1909, Serial No. 510,199.

The principal objects of my present invention are to form a mail chute in sections; to form each section in two parts which are readily detachable when unlocked, to provide simple means whereby the front portion of each section is locked to each side of the rear portion of said chute section and to provide means whereby the ends of two adjacent chute sections are locked to one another at two different points, thereby providing a very strong and substantial structure.

A further object of my invention is to locate the locking means or devices on the rear side of the chute at points wholly inside the rear corners of the chute, and thus said locking devices are hid from view and the chute presents a neat and finished appearance when set up for use.

Vith these objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Referring by numerals to the accompanymg drawings, 1 clesignates the uprights of the chute supporting frame and arranged on said uprights at suitable distances apart are cross bars 2, on which engage hooks 3 carried by the back walls 4 of the chute sections.

Formed in each back wall near its side edges are rearwardly projecting bent portions, thus forming grooves 6 in the front face of the back wall, which grooves receive the rearwardly bent edges of the inwardly bent portions 8 of the side walls 9. The forward portions of these side walls 9 are bent inward and are engaged by suitable molding strips 10, which engage and support the glass panel or pane 11, forming the transparent front wall of the chute. Thus it will be seen that each chute section is formed in two main parts, the rear part comprising the back wall 41, which is detachably arranged on the fiXed supporting frame and the front portion comprising the side walls 9, molding strips 10' and transparent front wall ll.

The chute sections are made in suitable lengths and provided at their ends with engaging side and front bars 12, which form no part of my present invention. Fixed in any suitable manner to the back wall t of each chute section is a transversely disposed bar fa, the ends of which are bent forwardly as designated by atb, and which forwardly bent ends lie immediately against the side walls 9 of the front portion of the chute. These forwardly bent parts 4th are provided with slots llc and seated in the side walls 9 and passing through these slots are pins or rivets 9a, thus the entire front portion of the chute comprising the side walls 9 and panel 11 is attached to the back wall in such a manner as to'permit the movable front portion to be moved forward away from the back wall for the purpose of clearing the chute of clogged mail matter, or for the purpose of repair without wholly detaching the front portion of the chute from the back wall.

Seated in the inwardly bent portions S of the side walls 9 are headed pins or studs 13, Which when the two parts of the chute section are properly fitted together engage through corresponding apertures 14 formed through the side portions of the back wall 4.

Looking bars 15 are held to slide vertically upon the rear faces of the side portions of the back wall 4 by means of headed pins or studs 16 seated in the side portions of the back wall 4 and projecting through corresponding slots 17 formed in said bars 15. These locking bars 15 are provided with key-hole shaped openings 18 immediately adjacent the slots 17, the enlarged portions of which openings 18 are adapted to register with the openings 14. Then the lockbars 15 are shifted into positions where the enlarged portions of the openings 18 register with the openings 14, the headed pins or studs 18 can readily be inserted through said registering openings and when the bars are moved vertioally the two parts of the chute section are firmly locked to one another the headed pins or studs 13 cannot pass through the smaller portions of the key-hole openings 18. Each lock bar is provided with a pair of the openings 17 and 18 adjacent its ends and the openings are arranged at the upper end of one chute section so that an upward movement of the locking bars on this particular chute section will lock the two parts of said section together while a downward movement of the locking bars of the nort adjacent upper chute section will result in locking the two parts of said upper chute sections together. The upper and lower ends of the locking bars on an adjacent pair of the chute sections are bent rearward as designated by 19 and formed through said rcarwardly bent ends are apertures 20 adapted to receive the shaekle of a padlock or the like. Thus after the pairs of locking bars are shifted into positions to lock the parts of the chute sections together, the ends of the pairs of locking bars are locked to one another with a padlock or the like, thus locking the ends of the chute sec- "ions to one another.

It will be noted in my improved construction that the front portion of each chute section may be locked to both sides of the rear portion or back wall 4, thus providing a very strong, rigid construction and both of the locking bars are arranged upon the rear side of the back wall where they are hid from view when the chute is properly set up for use. rlfhus the completed chute presents a neat and finished appearance and the sides thereof are uniform and symmetrical owing to the absence of interlocking joints, hinges, locking devices and the like.

A chute of my improved. construction can be easily assembled or taken apart and in case said chute becomes clogged with mail matter, any one or all of the removable front portions of the chute sections can be easily and quickly moved outward to permit the removal of the clogged mail matter.

lt will be readily understood that minor changes in the construction, arrangement and combination of the several parts of my improved chute can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of my invention.

l claim- 1. A mail chute comprising a back wall, a removable chute section positioned in front of the back wall, and comprising side 'alls independently removable from the back wall and a :front wall, and independent locking devices for holding the side walls in engagement with the back wall, said locking devices being arranged between the vertical planes of the side walls.

2. ln a mail chute, a back wall, in the face of which is formed a pair of vertically disposed grooves, a removable chute section comprisingI a front and side walls, the rear portions of which side walls are bent inward and the edges of said inwardly bent portions being bent outward and adapted to occupy the grooves in the back plate, and means for locking' the inwardly bent portions of the side walls in the grooves of the back wall.

3. A mail chute comprising a back wall, a removable chute section comprising side walls independently removable from the back wall, and a front wall, the rear portions of the side wall being bent inward to engage the back wall, headed pins carried by the side walls and projecting through openings in the back wall, and means arranged on the back wall for engaging the projecting portions of the headed pins, said means being disposed beaween the vertical planes of the side walls.

4. ln a mail chute a back wall, a removable section comprising a front and side walls, headed pins carried by the rear portions of the side walls, which pins project through corresponding openings formed in the back wall and locking devices on the back wall for engaging the projecting portions of the pins.

5. A mail chute comprising a back wall having a pair of vertically disposed grooves arranged in the faces thereof, a removable chute section embodying side walls independently removable from the back wall, and a front wall, the rear edges of the side walls coperating with said grooves in the back wall, and independent locking means for holding the side walls in engagement with the back wall, said locking means being disposed adjacentto the grooves and between the vertical pla-nes of the walls.

6. in a mail chute, a back wall in the face of which is formed a pair of vertically disposed grooves, a removable chute section lcomprising a front and side walls, the rear portions of which side walls are bent inward and the edges of said inwardly bent portions being bent outward and adapted to occupy the grooves in the back plate, headed pins carried by the inwardly bent portions of the walls, which pins project through corresponding openings in the back wall and means on the back wall for engaging the projecting portions of said pins.

7 In a mail chute a back wall, a removable chute section arranged on said back wall and comprising a front and side walls, headed pins carried by the rear portions of the side walls, which pins project through corresponding openings in the back wall, a pair of locking bars arranged to slide on the back wall and adapted to engage the proj ecting portions of the headed pins.

8. In a mail chute a back wall, a removable chute section arranged on said back wall and comprising a front and side walls, headed pins carried by the rear portions of the side walls, which pins project through corresponding openings in the back wall, a pair of locking bars arranged to slide on the back wall and adapted to engage the projecting portions of the headed pins and the ends of which locking bars are bent outward and adapted to receive locking devices.

9. A mail chute comprising a back wall having apertures formed near its edges, a removable chute section embodying side walls independently removable from the back wall, and a front wall, and locking devices carried by the rear portions of the side walls and arranged to engage said apertures in the back wall.

10. A mail chute comprising a back wall having apertures formed near its edges, a removable chute section embodying side walls independently removable from the back walls, and a front wall, the rear portions of the side walls being bent inwardly, and headed pins carried by the. inwardly bent portions of the side walls and arranged to engage the apertures in the back wall.

11. A mail chute comprising a back wall having apertures formed near its edges, a removable chute section embodying side walls independently removable from the back wall, and a front wall, projections on the side walls adapted to engage the apertures in the back wall, and locking devices coperating with said projections and arranged between the vertical planes of the walls.

12. In a mail chute, a back wall, arms having closed slots projecting forwardly from the back wall, a front chute section and pins seated in the side walls of said front chute section and engaging in the slotted arms.

13. In a mail chute, a back wall, arms having closed slots projecting forwardly from the back wall, a front chute section, and pins seated in the side walls of said front chute section engaging in the slotted arms, and means for locking the front chute section to the back wall at either side.

14. In a mail chute, a back wall, arms having closed slots projecting forwardly from the back wall, a front chute section, and pins seated in the side walls of said front chute section engaging in the slotted arms, and means for locking the front chute section to the back wall at either side, said means being` concealed by the back wall.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 8th day of April, 1910.

ARTHUR K. SMITH.

Witnesses:

M. P. SMITH, L. A. Como.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing 'the Commissioner of Yatents, Washington, ID. C. 

